Centrifugal machine



No. 6|7,|`5s. A) Patented lan. 3, |899. T. HENnEnsoN.

CENTBIFUGAL MACHINE.

(Applcation'led Aug, '7, 1897.)

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Witn sses, ma Inventor.

By /dW/f l Attorney.

TME Nonms Pnsws co., vuorourup.. wumnaon. n. c,

GENTRIFUGAL MACHINE.

(Application led Aug. 7, 1897.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

',l, I WIM Inventor.

THOMAS HENDERSON, OF BUFFALO, NEV YORK.

CENTRIFUGAL'MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,158, dated January 3, 1899.

Application filed August 7, 1897.

To all whom. t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS HENDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York; have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Drying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvement-sin the construction of that class of centrifugal machines employed in drying sugar, separating the molasses therefrom, and for other analogous purposes; and its object is to provide means for balancing the material within the basket, for more evenly distributing the material upon the interior ofthe basket, for more thoroughly separating the molasses from the sugar, and for increasing the output without increasing the centrifugal speed.

Another object is to obviate the danger of collecting the material in one portion and thereby clogging the machine.

I also detachably secure one portion of the basket to the other, thus providing means for easily reaching the interior of the basket should that become necessary, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a vertical longitudinal section through the machine on or about line a ct, Fig. 4. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 represents a front elevation. Fig. 4represents a back end elevation. Fig. 5 is asectional elevation through the front head of the centrifugal basket on or about line c c, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings for the details of the construction, 1 represents the base on which the machine is supported. The frame 4of the machine, which is preferably made of cast-iron, consists of the front and rear supporting frame-pieces 2 and 2, the feet of which are secured to the base 1- by bolts 3. They are supported inan upright position by braces 4, rigidly securedthereto and to the base 1 by bolts.

The numerals 5 represent angular supporting-brackets at each side of the front and rear end frames, which may be either secured to the frames or made integral therewith. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) On these sup- Serial No. 647,420. (No model.)

porting-brackets 5 are fastened by bolts 6 two longitudinal angle-iron bars 7 ,upon which is mounted and secured by bolts 8 a stationary sheet-iron casing 9. It is provided with an annular partition 10 to separate the sugar and molasses, 11 being the sugar-discharge opening.

Within the casing 9 is mounted and fitted so as to rotate on the driving-shaft 9 the centrifugal sugar-basket. The front head portion of 'the sugar-basket consists of two portions, as follows: a closed tapering portion 12, which tapers down to a circular opening adapted to fit over and rotate on a stationary hub 12a, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) and an inner portion or spider consisting of four arms 12C, (see Fig. 5, the preferred construction,) but more or less arms may be used. These arms at their outer ends are each provided with a small sharp-edged portion or illet 12d, which allows the sugar to pass over the inclined sides of said portions into the basket as it is thrown outward by centrifugal force. By this means no lodging-places for the sugar are aorded and the feeding thereof is not retarded or interrupted, the fillets 12d absolutely preventing any chance of clogging the machine. The rear head portion is a flat disk 13, preferably made of cast steel or brass. (See Fig. 1.) It is provided with a hub 13a, which is mounted on the shaft 9 and extends through a circular opening in the end 9c of the casing 9 and is provided with a reduced end, upon which is rigidly secured aspur gear-wheel 14.

The driving-shaft 9n is mounted in journalboxes 9d 9e on the supporting-frames 2 and 2, and the centrifugal sugar-basket is supported upon and turns on said shaft.

The body or cylindrical portion of the basket is composed of perforated sheet metal 9g, lined with coarse woven wire 13 and an inner lining 13i of iine wire-cloth. The ring 13e is riveted to the cylindrical portion of the basket and detachably secured to the front head by screw-bolts, thus affording means for disengaging and removing the end portion from the body of the basket,which would be a very important advantage should the machine be allowed to remain over night without cleaning, as the materialwould harden upon the interior, and in most instances IOC of that sort probably prove very hard to remove. A ring 13f is secured around the center of the basket to strengthen it. The driving-pulley 18 is secured to the shaft 9a by a key or other well-known means. At the opposite end of the shaft 9 is a collar 9i, which serves to keep it in its longitudinal position. A spur gear-wheel 15 is also rigidly secured to the shaft 9, and below the shaft 9a and parallel with it is mounted in suitable boxes on the supporting-frame 2 a counter-shaft 19, on the outer end of which is secured a spur gear-wheel 17, adapted to gear in with the gear-wheel 15. At the opposite end of the shaft 19 is secured another spur gearwheel16, adapted to gear in with the spur gear-wheel 14.

The discharge-spout 2O for the molasses is placed at the bottom of the case 9. (See Figs. 1 and 2.)

The hopper 21, through which the material is fed to the basket, is rigidly secured to the top of the front frame 2. At the lower portion of the hopper is a stuffing-box 22 to keep a close joint between the hopper and the shaft 9. At the front end of the shaft 9 is another stufng-box 23 for the purpose of keeping a tight joint around the cleaning or washout pipe 28".

The basket is provided at the rear head with openings 24, through which the sugar is discharged. (See Fig. 1.)

In the upper portion of the case 9 is a horizontal pipe 25, having a series of small perforations 26 in its lower side, through which steam or water is forced or blown for the purpose of cleaning the basket when required. The shaft 9a has a longitudinal hole 27, eX- tending far enough to reach the back head of the basket, and is also provided with a series of transverse perforations 27a, through which water or steam is forced to clean out the basket and those parts not reached by the perforated pipe 25.

The conveyer, as shown, is in a double` screw form 28 and 28, thereby giving a longer or quicker lead to the screw; but they may be increased to four in practice, thereby increasing the output of the centrifugal. The double form of screw balances the basket, which was utterly impossible with the single screw, as the material was properly received from the hopper at but a single point (the starting-point of the single screw) and the tendency was to collect the material in the immediate vicinity of the screw, as an uninterrupted movement was afforded to the same at all other points within the interior of the basket. With the double form the material is properly received from the hopper at two points diametrically opposite each other and the material received at one point balances the material received at the other, the material is more equally distributed upon the interior surface of the basket, and the separation of the molasses from the sugar more thoroughly and quickly accomplished. By

this means the basket can be rotated more slowly than with the ordinary single screw, thus greatly lessening the power required and the wear and tear on the centrifugal machinery, while at the same time maintaining the same capacity of feed and materially in# creasing the efficiency of the separation.

It will be seen from the above description that the case 9, nearly inclosing the centrifugal sugar-basket, is divided into two compartments by the annular partition 10, (see Fig. 1,) one for the sugar and the other for the molasses.

The hub 13j on the front head of the basket is bored to an easy-running iit for the shaft 9m. The hub 13LL on the rear head of the basket is also bored to an easy-running fit for the shaft'9a, so that the basket turns on the shaft 9, while the conveyer 28 28, being attached to the shaft 9', turns with said shaft.l The conveyer is preferably made of sheet brass or copper, but may be made ofsheet-steel, aluminium, or other equivalent material.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Motion being applied by means of the driving-pulley 18 and gears 14, 15, 16, and 17, the pulley 18 and gear-wheel 15, having thirtyone teeth,are keyed fast to the shaft 91. Gearwheel 15 engages with gear-wheel 17, having thirty teeth, which is keyed fast to the outer end of the counter-shaft 19. Gear-wheel 1b', having twenty-nine teeth, is secured to the opposite end of the counter-shaft 19 and engages with the gear-wheel 14, having thirty teeth, and which is secured to the hub 13n of the rear head of the basket. This construction has the effect when the machine is in motion-say of one thousand revolutions per minute- 0f giving the conveyers one thousand revolutions per minute and the basket about nine hundred and ninety-nine and a fraction revolutions per minute. When sugar as it comes from the mixer is let into the hopper 21, it falls by gravity until it reaches the head 12 and passes into the basket, when the centrifugal force throws it to the side of the basket. The conveyer instantly takes hold of it, and, having a slight accelerated motion, as above stated, conveys it slowly along the sides of the basket until it reaches the openings 24,where itis discharged into the sugar-compartment of the case 9 and through the opening 11 into a suitable receptacle. During this operation the centrifugal has thrown off the molasses from the sugar and through the perforations and openings and meshes of the basket into the case 9,from which it flows through the discharge 20 into a suitable receptacle.

All machines of this character if not properly washed out after having been used will become clogged with the material passing through them. The means for readily cleaning it, as above described, is therefore an important element in machines of this description.

It will be noticed that the front head porhead portion 12.

tion 12nof the basket extends outward through an annular opening in the case and tapers tov an opening which ts and rotates on the hub l2 at the lower portion of the hopper and that the back of the hopper is on substantially the saine incline as the inner side of the This construction insures an easy uninterrupted feed into the basket.

I claim as my inventionl. In a centrifugal drying machine, the combination of a supporting-frame, ahopper mounted thereon,a horizontal shaft j ournaled in said frame, arotating basket mounted partially upon the hopper and partially upon the shaft, a supporting-spider j ournaled upon the shaft within said basket, sharp-edged fillets at the juncture of the arins of said spider with the interior of the basket for preventing` clogging, and a double-screw conveyer having each screw beginning at a point diametrically opposite the other, as set forth.

2. ln a centrifugal drying-machine, the combination With the supporting-frame,- the hopper and casing supported thereon, and the driving-shaft mounted in journal-boxes on said frame, of a centrifugal sugar-basket, comprising a cylindrical body, a front head consisting of an outer portion having its nterior tapering down to a circular opening adapted to fit over and rotate on a stationary hub, attached to the supporting-frame, and an inner spider having a series of arms ra diating from a hub, Which is rotatably supported by the shaft, the outer side of said arm being provided with sharp-edged fillets, and the rear disk having its hub mounted upon the shaft, as set forth.

THOMAS HENDERSON.

Witnesses:

JAMES SANGSTER, A. J. SANes'rim.4 

